And finally - Fortress have invited a cross section of the boating media, have Chuck on board and will need a decent crew to complete what is proposed. The media are not being paid (I know, I was invited and sorely tempted). People talk, there are too many to keep any shenanigans secret, there will be too many who know too much about anchor testing and Fortress know they would not survive anything but the highest integrity. To my mind the testing has merit - even if we know the answer.

Thanks for your comments. As the time has drawn closer, and I have learned more about the writers coming aboard, I believe now, for a wide variety of reasons, that the scrutiny we will be under is going to be far greater than what I had originally envisioned.

Add to that the uncooperative nature of any common bottom like soft mud, which is found in bays, lakes, and rivers, and there is certainly a measure of risk involved.

But at the end of the day, important information will be gathered on anchor performance capability in a difficult bottom, the result of which will help boaters decide on the best product for that application.

By publishing on TF the intention of Fortress to do such a test, one surely can log a reasonable sample of the skepticism in the boating public right here. I doubt that Fortress ever imagined the test wouldn't be under scrutiny. The announcement on TF about the test was a good step toward adding integrity to results much too transparent to deny.

You are absolutely right, Larry. Coming here before the test and setting out the logistics of the test, accepting the comments here and following up with explanations gives the test much more credibility than coming here after the test and saying "Here are the results and here is how we did it". At the very least, Brian and Fortress get a lot of credit for being open and upfront and being willing to discuss everything in an open forum. Many more companies should try it.

You are absolutely right, Larry. Coming here before the test and setting out the logistics of the test, accepting the comments here and following up with explanations gives the test much more credibility than coming here after the test and saying "Here are the results and here is how we did it". At the very least, Brian and Fortress get a lot of credit for being open and upfront and being willing to discuss everything in an open forum. Many more companies should try it.

I look forward to seeing the results.
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THD , unfortunately it will never be that simple, Brian from being with a well respected company such as Fortress has had to battle through this lot, Brian himself is very much a man of his word, still he has had to answer the criticisms, I for one applaud him for going ahead with it given the amount of requests, skeptics, and doubts that have been expressed.

As Brian said, since he has made this test public it has attracted far more interest than one would have imagined, question is after this is all over would he do the same again.As I am to an anchor Manufacturer I also became involved with the Marine authority’s to develop a more reliable method for testing anchors, we did achieve our goal but we to made a public statement of where and when this was going to take place.

Logistics was a major hurdle, where could it be done, three lots of permits were required, a safety contingency plan the list goes on, I haven’t even mentioned the skeptics yet let alone our enormous associated costs, un fortunately THD you will not see to many anchor test broadcast with prior public scrutiny, would I broad cast it again, never.

Keeping in mind that we accept the fact that many of the views from the forum is also a good thing, I am not complaining it’s just a question of mine, do I need it, the reason these anchor threads will continue is because an anchor design looks so simple it encourages comment, nothing brings out the passion like anchor designs, and then the claims one makes with his design.

A few years back all of you good people helped to bring to attention a shonky company making anchors out of material—steels that were inferior to that of what they had you believing, certain events with those anchors raised doubt over the strength of those steels, you the skeptics, because of your suspicions’ a great outcome was the result, they were exposed and paid the price, probably forgiven now but never the less you the public with your skepticism were responsible for poetic justice.

But this is what it is all about, all of the believers and skeptics bring about better understanding of just whom we are dealing with, allows us to examine, believe on a case by case bases, I am an anchor manufacturer, this will be a rare event, there will be plenty of anchor test by manufacturers, and magazines but very few with prior knowledge to attend.

I appreciate your candor, and certainly can appreciate the difficulties you outlined. Each manufacturer has to weigh the costs and the benefits and the level of irritation they are willing to endure. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to have a manufacturer willing to endure us here on TF. Admittedly, we can be a cantankerous bunch! But there seems to me to be a benefit to manufacturers to coming to a forum like this and that can be done without jeopardizing the testing, complicating logistics and adding a great deal of additional cost. I am not referring only to anchor manufacturers. How may threads have complaints or discussions about how various items work when actually on a boat? Or complaints about the ergonomics of various items? Seems to me that participation on a forum such as this is very cheap pre-production research, if done correctly, for a manufacturer.

Yes well Having a forgiving forum such as the TF encourages Manufactureres out of their cubby holes and be a little more transparent, so if compliments are flowing I think the TF is worthy with a better cut of customers than some I know.

Any way you have encouraged me THD for what it is worth to particpate when it comes to anchors, now is not the time but after Brian has finished his anchor testing I would like, but rather somone start a thread on anchor testing, I will stick my neck out by introducing our method of testing anchors,cost involved, accuracy, untold and unforseen problems and most important the method.

Rex-
Nonetheless, it is refreshing to have a manufacturer willing to endure us here on TF.

Rex: Thanks for your offer to contribute genuine data to this eternal debate. There are a few here who know it all, many who don't, and some who never have to. A good cross section of our society, no? In the face of real-life test criteria and data like you mentioned, even "we" might be able to agree on something.

Thanks for the offer and I am sure we will be able to get such a thread started in the near future. As you well know, anchor threads are not hard to come by here.

I am glad you decided that we may have some value to you here. Despite our bitching, moaning and complaining about virtually all things marine, we all love it and do appreciate those companies that work to make our boating lives better (or more miserable as the case may be!).

I for one will be looking forward to your future contributions and hope we may, in some small way, contribute to your products.

Rex: Thanks for your offer to contribute genuine data to this eternal debate. There are a few here who know it all, many who don't, and some who never have to. A good cross section of our society, no? In the face of real-life test criteria and data like you mentioned, even "we" might be able to agree on something.
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Larry

"I'd rather be happy than dignified".

Larry

Sounds like you have sumed me up well? thanks for all of your welcoming comments, were are going well so far, normaly mention a anchor or tetesting one, I would be ducking.

Like I said after Brian has done his testing I will look at providing detail and answering questions, if we can keep it on track we may all learn something.

See post 19. This needs to be done in a realistic fashion, the way a boat actually clocks.

Do boats only 'clock'? What happens in a tidal river (which might have the soft mud in which Fortress appear to be testing, have tested). What happens when a storm cell passes over and you are unfortunate enough to have the center of the cell pass directly overhead (so sudden wind shift through 180 degrees)?

As has been pointed out - many anchors given time will 'shuffle' round and stay set.

Does a well set anchor in soft mud (say) move anyway, does a poorly set large anchor perform the same way as a well set small anchor?

The options seem pretty limitless

Hopefully Fortress' recent test will give a base line from which to start - for soft mud - or raise other questions that might be more important.

Part of this test was holding power. Read the test.
And part of the text ... "In the best test group, those that did not break out and moved very little (from not measurable to no more than 6"), were the Bruce, the Fortress FX-16, the Supermax (with the adjustable shank) and the Spade."

More of the text ..."Better test results—meaning that the anchors either didn’t break out completely or that they reset them- selves very quickly in between 6" and 3'—were the Barnacle, the Claw, the Bulwagga, the Danforth Deepset, the Herreshoff Bronze and the West Ma- rine Performance2."